The capital city was defended by three lines of defense. The outermost line was guarded by the city defense army, which was divided into four directions: east, west, south, and north, with 30,000 men in each direction. The inner city army, which protected the safety of the city, numbered 300,000 men. The imperial guards, which protected the palace, numbered 70,000 men.
In other words, there were 490,000 soldiers guarding the imperial power, with layers of protection, making it as solid as a rock.
General Guan's original force numbered 20,000, but he later incorporated some smaller units from nearby areas, bringing the total to 30,000.
Six thousand men were left with Chu Zhuo, twenty-four thousand were brought to the capital, and more than ten thousand troops were transferred away, totaling thirty-five thousand men.
Because of the change in the number of people, Chu Zhuo's position was freed up, and the troops were redistributed.
Each of the men in the Qiao family commanded 5,000 men as a Lieutenant General, while the remaining 20,000 men were directly commanded by General Guan.
Coming to the capital to serve as the city's defense force is a rare opportunity for many out-of-town troops. Each person commands more troops and has been promoted.
After the troops settled down, Guan Yuqin took her two children to find a place to rent.
Housing prices in Beijing are high, and although I have a fair amount of savings, it's not enough, so I can only rent for now.
She planned to visit the Qiao family after she had rented a house.
Let's rent a place closer to the Qiao family's house so we can visit each other more easily. It's okay if it's a little more expensive.
Guan Xue and Guan Song followed behind her, very lively: "Mom, when can we see our sister? We miss her so much!"
The journey was long and bumpy, and everyone was exhausted. The two children were initially listless, but once they arrived in the capital, they were captivated by its prosperity and found everything new and fun to do, and they became excited.
Guan Yuqin smiled and said, "After we find a place to stay, we can go see your sister. It won't take long. The capital is so big, it's easy to find a place to rent."
Otherwise, the Qiao family would ask her if she had a place to stay, and might even offer to help her out. She didn't want to trouble the Qiao family.
The two children looked ahead and their eyes lit up: "Sister, sister's here!"
Guan Yuqin then noticed that Qiao Lian'er had appeared in front of her at some point.
She crouched down, and the two children rushed over to her.
Guan Xue rushed into Qiao Lian'er's arms, pressing her little face against hers, feeling incredibly happy. Guan Song, now eleven years old and all grown up, stood beside Qiao Lian'er, also looking excited.
"Lian'er, we just arrived and plan to look around first, then visit you later." Guan Yuqin said a little shyly.
Qiao Lian'er stood up, but Guan Xue was still holding her hand and wouldn't let go. Guan Song also looked up at her with admiration.
In an instant, Qiao Lian'er's heart melted.
"Miss Guan, are you looking for a place to stay?"
She had just noticed that Guan Yuqin was looking at rental advertisements everywhere.
"Yes, we'll find one soon. We'll find one close to you so it'll be convenient for you in the future."
"Lian'er, you go home first, I'll come find you when I'm better."
Qiao Lian'er pulled Guan Yuqin to a secluded spot, then took out a box from her sleeve and solemnly handed it to her.
“Miss Guan, this is the 16,000 taels your family contributed back then. I have converted it all into silver notes. You can use it to buy a house. Since you will be living here for a long time, you should not rent it.”
Guan Yuqin was looking at rental signs, not news about selling houses, which means she doesn't have much money left. The compensation given to the Qiao family was the Guan family's main savings.
She thought that since the Guan family was willing to offer so much compensation, they must have at least 100,000 taels of their assets. It turned out that she was being too optimistic.
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